Dire Gulf forecast may be fishy

Dire predictions about the long-term health of fish species in the Gulf of Mexico and worldwide may be overblown, according to new research from LSU fisheries scientists.

A paper published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science says several recent high-profile studies have used misleading data to show that the world's wild fish populations could face total collapse within decades.

The authors acknowledge that many species are in danger, including the Gulf's red snapper, but they say painting too broad a picture undermines the credibility of the predictions.

"Creating false alarms or crying wolf doesn't help the situation, because people get numb to it," said James Cowan, one of the LSU coastal fisheries researchers who worked on the paper along with professors at the University of Washington. "We know there are problems out there and that the problems are real. But it's important for us to be honest about what we do and don't know."

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